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SANTA ROSA, California -- Peter Sagan of Slovakia surged to the topof the peloton and pedaled toward the lead when his back tirepunctured and his Tour of California chances started to deflate. The Slovakian teammates call The Terminator for his mentalmakeup and powerful closing speed lived up to his nickname. Hestayed calm during a slow mechanical change and a crash that wipedout several sprinters. I knew there was plenty of time to come back, Sagan said. Ididn't stress too much. Sagan overcame the punctured tire in the final five miles to chasedown the field and capture the first stage of the Tour ofCalifornia on Sunday, finishing two lengths ahead of HeinrichHaussler and Fred Rodriguez in a wild sprint. The rider for the Italian team Liquigas-Cannondale lost about 20seconds during a tire change in the waning moments. Sagan surviveda crash ahead of him and masterfully guided through a difficultdescent in serene Sonoma wine country. The former junior world champion mountain biker completed the115.9-mile (186.5-kilometer) opening stage of North America's mostprominent cycling race in 4 hours, 42 minutes and 25 seconds. Itwas Sagan's fourth stage victory in the event's seven-year history. It's a gift I haven't seen in a while, said Rodriguez, anAmerican for Team Exergy. For a sprinter that can climb at thelevel that he does, there's nothing he can't do. The opening stage began the eight-day, 733.5-mile(1180.5-kilometer) journey that ends in downtown Los Angeles. After weathering pelting rains in the past and canceling theopening stage in the Sierra last year because of late-season snow,the only downer in wine country came in the form of morning fog. The stage started with two leveled laps around downtown Santa Rosain front of a cow bell clanging, horn-blowing crowd that turned outby the thousands in this cycling-loving city. Eight sprinters built a 10-minute lead by the time the pelotonreturned for the first of two trips and the far flatter route to the city's main drag. Patches of sunshine broke through in theafternoon for a mountainous loop out to the Pacific Ocean and backthat brought the day's total climbing to more than 6,000 feet. The breakaway maintained the firm lead through the rolling hills,verdant vineyards and blooming wildflowers synonymous with SonomaCounty. The scene shifted through a redwood forest and anothercurving climb, and the peloton pulled in the lead trio MaximeBouet, Jeffry Louder and Ben Jacques-Maynes by the end of atricky descent down Highway 1 along the coastal cliffs. It's like a little slice of heaven, said Christopher Horner ofthe RadioShack-Nissan-Trek team. The 22-year-old pointed to the adoring crowd on both sides at thefinish line and hoisted his hands in the air in triumph. It was a confusing finish, Sagan said. There were very fewpeople in the peloton. I am an expert from custompcbboard.com, while we provides the quality product, such as HDI PCB Design Manufacturer , China Rigid Flex Board, Custom PCB Board,and more.
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